1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a housing for an electronic device such as a pager, a radio, a small-sized portable communication device or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improvement of the housing for an electronic device in the form of an electronic circuit unit therein wherein the housing has an improved appearance and undesirable introduction of electrostatics into the interior of the housing is prevented substantially.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, a housing of the foregoing type is usually required to have dimensions small enough to allow the housing to be received in a breast pocket on a user's suit. A typical conventional portable type housing is shown in FIG. 6 which is a perspective view illustrating a card box-shaped housing in a disassembled state.
The housing is molded of plastic material and includes as essential components a case 1 in which an electronic circuit unit (not shown) is accommodated, a cover 2 for closing a large part of the case 1 and a battery cover 4 for closing a battery receiving portion 3 of the case 1.
The cover 2 is formed with projections 6 outward of the both side edges thereof, and the projections 6 are fitted into guide grooves 7 on the inner surfaces of the both side walls of the case 1 and a screw 8 is screwed so that the cover 2 is firmly mounted at a predetermined position on the case 1.
The battery cover 4 is formed with projections outward of the both side edges thereof, and one projection 9 is fitted into a guide groove 7 on the case 1, while other projection (not shown) is fitted into a guide groove (not shown) on the cover 2, whereby the battery cover 4 is mounted at a predetermined position on the battery receiving portion 3. In addition, the battery cover 4 is formed with a locking portion (not shown) adapted to be engaged with a locking portion (not shown) on the cove 2. When the locking portion on the battery cover 4 is engaged with the locking portion on the cover 2, the battery cover 4 is firmly fitted to an assembly of the case 1 and the cover 2.
When the present dry battery is to be exchanged with another new one, a user depresses an opening/closing actuating portion 11 with his fingers so as to allow the battery cover 4 to be slidably displaced until only the battery cover 4 is removed from the assembly of the case 1 and the cover 2. In addition, when the electronic device accommodated in the housing is to be inspected, the cover 2 and the battery cover 4 are removed from the case 1 by unscrewing the screw 8.
With the conventional housing as constructed in the above-described manner, however, it has been found that the housing is unacceptable from the viewpoint of an appearance because the screw 8 is undesirably exposed to the outside.
Another problem of the conventional housing is that since the screw 8 is made of metallic material for the reason of assuring a sufficient mechanical strength for connecting the cover 2 to the case 1, an outside electrostatics is undesirably introduced into the interior of the housing via the screw 8, resulting in the electronic device such as an integral circuit or the like accommodated in the housing 1 erroneously operated. In an extreme case, the electronic device is damaged or destroyed by the electrostatics.